Macro environment forces of CANADA - Research Paper Example

Macro Environment Forces of CANADA Demographic As of July Canada had a population of about 34,300,083 people, the population growth rate estimated at 0.784% (Indexmundi, 2012). Of this population, about 15.7% were aged between zero and 14; 68.5% of the population was aged between 15 and 64; and about 16% of the population was aged 65 years or more. On average, a household in Canada had 2.5 people going by 2006 statistics (Human Resources and Skills Development Canada, 2013). According to 2010 statistics, about 81% of the Canadian population lives in urban centres, the major cities being Toronto, Montreal, Calgary, Ottawa, and Vancouver.

The rate of urbanization in the country stands at 1.1% even as the net immigration rate stands at 5.65 migrants per 1000 individuals according to the CIA (Indexmundi, 2012). The country has a high literacy level with about 99% of the population aged at least 15 years being able to write and read. The Canadian population comprises persons of diverse ethnic backgrounds. The main ethnic groups and their proportions in the population is as follows: French origin (23%), British Isles origin (28%), Amerindian (2%), mixed backgrounds (26%), European (15%) and Arab, African and Asian (6%) according to the CIA (Indexmundi, 2012).

Economic Canada has a stable economy that grows at an average rate of 2.5% per annum (Heritage.org, 2013). With a GDP of about $1.4 trillion, the country enjoys a per capita income of $ 40,541 and is the eleventh largest economy as measured by nominal GDP. The Canadian dollar exchanges at about 0.978 US dollars and 0.758 Euros (x-rates, 2013). The country has 2.9% inflation rate and an unemployment rate of about 7.5%. As of 2012, the country enjoyed Foreign Direct Investment totalling about $40.9 billion. Currently, the benchmark interest rate as set by the Bank of Canada stands at 1% (Trading Economics, 2013).

Canada’s largest stock exchange market is Toronto Stock Exchange. As of August 2012, the stock market had a market capitalization of about 1,989,562,971,807canadian dollars and 1577 companies listed to it. Political Canada is a constitutional monarchy that is governed by a parliamentary system. The government has three main branches including the executive, judiciary and the legislature (Hurley, 2012). The supreme law of Canada is its constitution. The country has ten provinces and three territories all governed by the federal government of Canada.

The country enjoys favourable relations with many countries, its main ally and trading partner being the U.S. The country scores highly in terms of trade, investment, labour, monetary, and business freedoms (Heritage.org, 2013). The country is a member of several international institutions including the World Trade organization, North American Free Trade Agreement, G8, NATO, and United Nations. Natural/Ecological Canada is richly endowed with natural resources including mountains, rivers, lakes, seas, and minerals.

It is a leading exporter of lead, aluminium, nickel and gold (Hurley, 2012). The country boasts of having the second largest oil reserves in addition to having vast reserves of zinc and uranium minerals. Global warming affects Canada much as it affects many countries in the world. The country has taken a proactive approach in dealing with the problem of global warming and climate change. In this respect, several regulations have been enacted to ensure that anthropogenic activities do not harm the environment beyond reasonable limits.

Some of the regulations in place to this effect include the Kyoto Protocal and the Climate Change Action Plan 2001 (Hurley, 2012). The government generally encourages recycling of wastes and reforestation in case trees are cut down for any purposes. The country is blessed to have several sources of good drinking water (Environment Canada, 2013). Technological Canada is a developed economy and is highly developed in terms of technology and infrastructure. The country which has produced more than ten Nobel laureates is home to several global technology companies.

The country has about 28.5 million Internet users which accounts for about 84% of the population (Murphy, 2004). The country participates in space missions and is one of the few countries that have launched a satellite into space. While paper money is widely used in Canada, electronic money and smart cards are equally popular among the population. In fact, most people in the country prefer to transact using their smartcards or online for convenience and to overcome security risks. Some of the International electronic money providers that offer services in Canada include Paypal, Visa, and MasterCard.

Socio-cultural While the traditional family in Canada consists of father, mother, and children, the family structure continues to change over the years. Many households in the country comprise couples of the same sex (Murphy, 2004). The Supreme Court of Canada ruled that same-sex marriage is constitutional several years ago effectively changing the social cultural arrangement of the country. While the country has a high population of healthy individuals, statistics show that obesity is a major social issue with an adult prevalence rate of 23.

1% in 2004 (indexmundi.com, 2012). Obesity in the country is mainly attributed to the people’s lifestyle which includes eating fast foods and unhealthy foods on a regular basis. References Environment Canada (2013). Water Quality. Retrieved from http://www.ec.gc.ca/eau-water/default.asp?lang=En&n=F2F43FC7-1 Heritage.org (2013). Canada. Retrieved from http://www.heritage.org/index/country/canada Human Resources and Skills Development Canada (2013). Canadians in Context - Households and Families.

Retrieved from http://www4.hrsdc.gc.ca/.3ndic.1t.4r@-eng.jsp?iid=37 Hurley M. (2012). Countries around the world: Canada. Toronto. Raintree. Indexmundi (2012). Canada Demographics Profile 2012. Retrieved from http://www.indexmundi.com/canada/demographics_profile.html Murphy P. (2004). Discovering Cultures: Canada. Toronto. Marshall Cavendish. Trading Economics (2013). Canada Interest Rate. Retrieved from http://www.tradingeconomics.com/canada/interest-rate X-rates (2013). 1 Canadian Dollar Rates table.

Retrieved from http://www.x-rates.com/table/?from=CAD&amount=1